BALLARAT COVID UPDATE | Monday, January 24
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NEW CASES: 63 (down from 97 yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 898 (down from 946 yesterday)
Ballarat is showing promising signs that the peak of the Omicron wave has already been reached in the city.
There were 63 new COVID cases confirmed in the 24 hours to midnight on Sunday, according to the health department.
This is the lowest daily tally in Ballarat since January 3.
There are now 898 active cases, a number that also shows a continued trend of decline.
The seven-day average in Ballarat for new cases is 159.6 for the past week, compared to 233.6 from the previous week.
However, the actual numbers are certain to be higher given rapid tests do not count towards the location data.
VICTORIAN COVID UPDATE | Monday, January 24
NEW CASES: 11,695 (down from 13,091 yesterday)
DEATHS: 17 (up from 14 yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 186,073 (down from 191,058 yesterday)
IN HOSPITAL: 998 (down from 1,002 yesterday)
IN ICU: 119 (down from 120 yesterday)
ON VENTILATOR: 47 (up from 44 yesterday)
Victoria has recorded 11,695 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths, as the state government vows schools will only return to remote learning as a last resort.
The new infections, confirmed by the health department on Monday, include 4488 from PCR tests and 7207 from rapid antigen tests.
Monday's overall daily case figure is the lowest recorded in Victoria since January 3, when 8577 infections were added.
It brings the total number of active cases in the state to 186,073, which includes 998 people in hospital, down four from Sunday's figures.
The number of Victorians in intensive care sits at 119 and there are 47 people on a ventilator.
It comes after the state government unveiled its back-to-school plan ahead of students returning to classrooms from January 31 amid the Omicron wave.
It will feature a four-week rapid antigen test scheme, with students and staff asked to get tested twice a week before school.
More than 14 million RATs will be delivered to primary and secondary schools as well as early childhood centres across the state, including 6.6 million before the first week of term one.
In Ballarat, the number of new cases appears to also be on the decline.
Today's figures have not yet been released, but the number of new cases confirmed on Sunday was the lowest daily figure in three weeks.
There were 97 new Ballarat cases confirmed, the first time the case numbers have been under triple figures since January 4.
However, the actual numbers are certain to be higher given rapid tests do not count towards the location data.
Pharmacists have warned supply shortages will impact the rollout of the federal government's COVID-19 rapid antigen test concession scheme.
President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Trent Twomey says there will be enough tests over the course of the program, which begins on Monday, but supply is constrained at the moment.
"We don't have enough today," he told the Nine Network on Monday.
"There are 6000 community pharmacies in Australia and 804 pharmacies went live this morning. The majority will simply not be going live."
Mr Twomey says there are 13 million tests arriving in the next week and 22 million in the first three weeks of February just for pharmacies.
"But like with everything in this pandemic we are competing with supply chain shortages of rapid antigen tests not just in the UK and the US but here in Australia," he said.
"The bigger boys are getting stock before the smaller guys. We can't get enough stock for all pharmacies for all of those 6.6 million Australians that have (concession cards)."
Some pharmacies are also waiting for prices to drop before joining the scheme, with the government reimbursing pharmacies $10 per test.
"The prices are high at the moment," Mr Twomey said.
"Some pharmacies ... need to wait for their new shipments to arrive, which will see the price drop so they can afford to participate."
The government has again defended their rollout of the concessional scheme, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg saying every country is suffering from supply chain issues with regards to the tests.
"There's great demand for these rapid antigen tests right around the country and here in Australia we've got more than 200 million on offer," he told the ABC on Monday.
"The good news is more are coming online with millions arriving into the state and through the federal government."
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says the shortage has also been exacerbated by people and large companies hoarding tests.
"It's definitely been a factor," he said.
"You can't be Nostradamus, its not like we weren't bringing them in. The whole world is having issues with rapid antigen tests."
Labor Leader Anthony Albanese said the government ordered RATs too late, and then sought to shift the blame.
"They got their ads ready before they ordered the tests. Something that characterises this government is it sits back, waits for something to become a crisis then it blames others for the problem," he told the ABC.
"Barnaby Joyce actually just blamed the Australian people themselves. It's so frustrating when you are a pharmacist or a medical centre getting phone call after phone call as people search desperately to get a rapid antigen test."
RATs will also play a key role in the return to schools in the two biggest states.
As part of NSW's long awaited back-to-school plan, teachers and pupils will get two of the tests per week when they return to classrooms.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a similar strategy, saying 6.6 million RATs will be delivered to schools and early childhood centres across the state before primary and secondary students resume classes on January 31.
- with AAP
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